Spanish man confirmed as Thai river murder victim

BODY parts found in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River are those of a Spanish national, according to reports on February 4. 

Metropolitan police officer General Panya Maman, who is leading the murder investigation, confirmed that the deceased was a Spanish businessman who entered Thailand on January 19. 

A dockyard worker found the first body part, an arm, washed up in a patch of water plants by the riverbank, before raising an alert. The remaining parts of the victim turned up throughout January 30, including the man’s head, which was wrapped in plastic.  

After struggling to identify the victim, who was originally thought to be of Asian origin, investigators now believe that he was most likely kidnapped and coerced into providing his bank details, as the police found evidence that his money had been moved into different accounts in Asia and also Spain. 

General Maman told reporters: “I am convinced that within the next 48 hours this case will be resolved and that all perpetrators are foreign gangsters, although we suspect some Thai nationals may have had knowledge.”

The Spanish embassy is reported to be still awaiting confirmation of the businessman’s identity. 

Thailand’s rivers have been used as a dumping ground for bodies before now. In 2015, the body of a Thai bar-girl was found in the Mae Klong River, some 70 miles from Bangkok, triggering a national manhunt for British suspect Shane Looker, 45, who remains at large.